In Flower This Week

A weekly news-sheet prepared by a Gardens volunteer.
Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to garden bed 'Sections'. Plants in flower
are in bold type.

24 May 2002

This walk continues from last weeks newssheet, commencing at the cross
roads above the Nursery. Frankeniasp. [Section 41] is
so small yet covered with open mauve flowers and Olearia ramosissima
[Section 41], of similar size, is well covered with mauve daisies over a compact
shrub. The road is edged with many correas, ending with Correa Canes
Hybrid [Section 82] low-growing with long lateral branches of tubular
pink and cream flowers.

Crowea 'Pink Blush'

The path now passes through an area with many plant cultivars suitable for
the home garden. CroweaPink Blush [Section
87] is so prominent with a complete covering of white starry flowers, with a
dash of pink, over a compact shrub. Behind, CroweaFestival
[Section 87] has only its lowest branches still displaying deep pink flowers.
CroweaCoopers Hybrid [Section 87], upright
and dense, has somewhat larger flowers while Crowea exalataAustraflora
Green Cape [Section 87] is a low, dense and spreading shrub with smaller
soft pink flowers.

Taking the narrow path, Mountain Devil, Lambertia formosa [Section
75], is upright with dark leaf clusters and a scattering of clusters of tubular
red flowers. Hakea drupacea(Syn. H. suaveolens)
[Section 75] has long meandering trunks leading to acorn-shaped clusters of
perfumed white flowers dotted with pink. Hakea cristata [Section
75] has cream lacey flowers over this tall upright shrub while, further
on, Hakeaverrucosa [Section 75] has a gnarled old reclining
trunk leading to branches smothered with open lacey flowers with shades of pink.

Opposite, in the section of wattles, a group of young trees of Acacia
saliciformis [Section 77] have soft fluffy cream flowers on pendulous
branches. There are numerous Banksia ericifolia var. ericifolia
[Section 75] shrubs here, all with deep gold cylindrical flower spikes. Banksia
oblongifolia [Section 75] is a low shrub bearing green flower spikes.
On the upper path, the Port Lincoln Wattle, Acacia iteaphylla
[Section 75], is a dense, many branched tall shrub sprinkled with perfumed yellow
flower balls, very different from Acacia jibberdingensis [Section
75], named after the W.A. town Jibberding, with long wavy trunk and wavy branches
ending with bright yellow flower rods and long curved fine leaves. (A bonus
is the large flock of yellow tailed black cockatoos seen today.)

On your way back, another plant worth seeing is Rhododendron laetum
[Section 61], short and upright with large yellow trumpet-like flowers. This
rhododendron is from New Guinea, used here to hybridise with Australias
rhododendrons native to north Queensland.